Jan. 17, 2006
WACO, Texas -
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Game 15:
#8/8 Baylor (12-2, 2-2) vs. Texas A&M (14-3, 3-1)
Jan. 18, 2006 • 7 p.m.
Ferrell Center (10,284) - Waco, Texas
RADIO
Baylor/ISP Sports Network
KLRK -92.9 FM (change from normal)
Rick May - play-by-play
Lori Fogleman - color analyst
Broadcast begins 30 minutes prior to tip.
INTERNET FEEDS
Audio - live broadcast stream at BaylorBears.com
Video (All-Access) - live video stream at BaylorBears.com
GAME SPONSOR...
Wednesday's game sponsor, Reliant Energy.
BAYLOR VS. TEXAS A&M...
The Baylor Lady Bears, currently ranked No. 8 in the latest AP and No. 8 in the Coaches polls and reigning NCAA and Big 12 Conference champions, enter the game versus the Texas A&M Aggies with a 12-2 overall record and a 2-2 Big 12 mark. Baylor enters the contest winners of 47 of its last 53 games and hoping to avoid back-to-back league losses for the first time since the 2002-03 season.
Senior forward Sophia Young, national player of the year candidate and Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year, leads Baylor in both scoring and rebounding at 20.7 points and 10.4 rebounds a game. The Kodak All-American, who is No. 2 in the Big 12 in scoring and ranks No. 3 in rebounding, recently produced a pair of double-doubles to raise her career total to 52, good for No. 2 on the conference chart. Sophomore point guard Angela Tisdale ranks second on the squad in scoring at 13.9 an outing. Junior forward Abiola Wabara completes BU's double-digit season scoring trio at 10.0 a contest and she ranks second among Lady Bears in rebounding at 6.1 a game.
The Texas A&M Aggies, off to their best conference start since a 4-0 beginning in 1995, enter the contest with a 14-3 overall record and 3-1 league mark. Sophomore forward Morenike Atunrase (5-10) leads the Aggies in scoring at 13.5 points a game. Freshman guard Takia Starks ranks second on the squad in scoring at 11.6 points a game to complete A&M's double-digit scoring averages.
Wednesday's game matches the Big 12's top two defensive teams, as the Aggies allow a league-low 55.3 points a game and the Lady Bears yield 57.9 to rank No. 2. On the flip side, Baylor is No. 2 in the Big 12 in scoring (75.2) while A&M is No. 3 (74.2).
BAYLOR QUICK HITS...
• Baylor's 30-game win streak equaled the 10th longest in NCAA Division I women's basketball history. BU is 47-6 over its last 53 games.
• Sophia Young is on track to join an elite group who have tallied 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 assists and 300 steals in their NCAA Division I career, as she currently has 2,034 points, 1,132 rebounds, 264 assists and 268 steals.
• Young needs 300 points and 92 rebounds to become the Big 12's all-time scorer and rebounder.
• Young is now the No. 2 scorer in Baylor history with 2,034 points, the highest point total since the sport came under NCAA sponsorship.
• Jordan Davis has missed only six free throws throughout her career (72-78, .923). Prior to missing her first free throw of the season at Texas Tech, she had drained 23 consecutive free throws.
• Kim Mulkey-Robertson's teams are 77-10 (.885) in the Ferrell Center. • The Lady Bears have won 24 straight home games.
• In non-conference games, Baylor sports a 17-game home win streak and is 43-2 (.956) in the Ferrell Center under Mulkey-Robertson's tutelage. Baylor has registered 42 straight wins in regular-season non-conference home games.
• Baylor is 111-10 under Mulkey-Robertson when scoring 70 or more points, including 70-3 when putting 80 or more on the scoreboard.
• Since coming to BU, Mulkey-Robertson has posted the highest win total (143) and winning percentage (.781) among Big 12 Conference programs.
• Young has produced double-digit scoring in 111 of 120 games and 60 consecutive.
• Young has 52 career double-doubles to her credit.
BAYLOR IN THE POLLS...
Baylor finished last season ranked No. 1 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll and No. 5 in the Associated Press (AP) poll. The Lady Bears, defending NCAA champions, are currently ranked No. 8 in the most recent coaches poll after debuting at No 7 in the preseason poll. The AP poll's Jan. 16 ranking lists Baylor at No. 8 dropping three spots after Sunday's loss at Texas Tech. Baylor has now been ranked in a school-record 40 straight AP polls dating back to week nine of the 2003-04 listing when it broke in at No. 24. The Lady Bears have not been ranked lower than No. 9 since Nov. 30, 2004.
THE COACHES...
Baylor coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson is in her sixth season and owns a 143-40 head coaching record which equates to a .781 winning percentage. She has produced 20-win seasons in each of her first five years as a head coach and has taken the Lady Bears to postseason competition every year, four times to the NCAA Tournament and to the finals of the 2003 WNIT. In 2005, the Lady Bears claimed Baylor's and the Big 12's first NCAA basketball championship. Mulkey-Robertson is 10-1 versus Texas A&M, 5-0 in Waco.
Baylor year-by-year under Mulkey-Robertson:
2000-01 - 21-9 - NCAA, lost in first round (Arkansas)
2001-02 - 27-6 - NCAA, lost in second round (Drake)
2002-03 - 24-11 - WNIT, lost in finals (Auburn)
2003-04 - 26-9 - NCAA, lost in Sweet 16 (Tennessee)
2004-05 - 33-3 - NCAA Champions
2005-06 - 12-2
Mulkey-Robertson was named Baylor's fourth head coach on April 4, 2000. She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame that same year. She was inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame in June of 2003.
Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair is 447-200 in his 21st year as a head coach. Prior to his arrival at Texas A&M, Blair spent eight seasons at Stephen F. Austin (210-43) and 10 years at Arkansas (198-120). In his two-plus seasons in College Station, Blair is 39-37. In addition, he spent five years at Louisiana Tech as a graduate assistant and assistant coach, during that time, Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson was a player for the Lady Techsters. Coach Blair is 6-4 versus Baylor throughout his head coaching career.
BAYLOR IN BIG 12 GAMES...
The 2005-06 season marks the 10th year of competition for women's basketball in the Big 12 Conference. Baylor has a record of 82-66 in regular season Big 12 games. However, in Kim Mulkey-Robertson's five-plus years, Baylor is 55-29 in Big 12 play and has never posted a losing conference record. In 2004-05 the Lady Bears claimed their first-ever Big 12 Conference championship, winning both the regular season and tournament titles.
BU is 2-2 after its first four Big 12 games for the fourth time in Coach Mulkey-Robertson's six years at the helm.
BAYLOR'S BIG 12 RECORD BY YEAR...
2000-01 - 9-7
2001-02 - 12-4
2002-03 - 8-8
2003-04 - 10-6
2004-05 - 14-2
2005-06 - 2-2
BAYLOR'S ALL-TIME BIG 12 RECORD...
Home - 53-21
Away - 29-45
Baylor's Big 12 record under Mulkey-Robertson:
Home - 34-8
Away - 21-21
THE SERIES RECORDS...
Baylor and Texas A&M will meet for the 67th time when the two teams square off on Wednesday evening. Baylor leads the series, 35-32, and has won 10 consecutive games versus the Aggies. Texas A&M's last victory over BU (76-65) came on Feb. 9, 2000 in College Station. The Aggies also recorded their last win in Waco during that same season with a 62-59 triumph on Jan. 5, 2000. THE LAST MEETING... The two squads met two times last season with Baylor prevailing in both. Baylor posted a 60-54 win in College Station (Jan. 5). The Lady Bears registered a 74-52 win in Waco on Jan. 26.
COMMON OPPONENTS THIS SEASON...
Baylor and Texas A&M have faced four common opponents this season and both are 3-1 against those teams. Both squads posted home victories over Washington (BU, 81-74; TAU,79-65), Sam Houston State (BU, 82-42; TAU, 94-52) and Oklahoma State (BU, 57-26; TAU, 74-52) and suffered narrow road losses at Texas Tech (BU, 64-62; TAU, 56-55).
STELLAR BAYLOR DEFENSE...
Baylor has continued to play stellar defense this season as evidenced by the following:
-Lady Bears held Oklahoma State to 26 points, fewest ever in any Big 12 Conference game.
-Oklahoma State's 26 points is the fewest by a current Division I program against Baylor since TCU tallied 25 in 1975-76.
-BU held Texas to 48 points, fewest points Baylor has ever allowed the Lady Longhorns in the 68-game series.
-BU has held two of its last three opponents to 49 or fewer points, the first time Baylor has ever held foes to 49 or fewer points in conference play (SWC or Big 12).
-Baylor is 6-0 on season when holding foe to 59 or fewer points and has won 82 straight games when holding its opponent to 59 or fewer since a 58-56 loss to Oklahoma State in Waco during the 1998-99 season. Mulkey-Robertson's teams are 76-0 all-told when holding their opponent to 59 or fewer points.
-BU ranks No. 2 in Big 12 in both scoring, field goal percentage defense and scoring margin and No. 3 in 3-pt. field goal percentage.
-Opponents are hitting just .355 from field vs. Baylor this season, 32.7 percent in Big 12 play.
-Over the last three seasons BU has help the opponent to under .500 from the field in 118 of 119 games. In fact, in Coach Mulkey-Robertson's 183-game tenure, Baylor has allowed a team to shoot .500 from the field in just seven games. LSU shot 51.7 (30-58) percent against Baylor in the 2004-05 season opener, since then, Baylor has held opponents to under .500 shooting in 49 straight games.
MULKEY'S TEAMS PROTECTING THE HOME COURT...
In Kim Mulkey-Robertson's six years as Baylor's head coach, her teams are 77-10 (.885) in the Ferrell Center and eight of those 10 losses have come against ranked teams. The Lady Bears have won 24 straight home games dating back to their Feb. 8, 2004, loss to Texas Tech. In non-conference games, Baylor sports a 17-game home win streak and is 43-2 (.956) in the Ferrell Center under Mulkey-Robertson's tutelage. In addition, Baylor has registered 42 straight wins in regular-season non-conference home games.
During Mulkey-Robertson's tenure, Baylor's only home losses have come to:
Jan. 13, 2001 - lost to #17 Oklahoma (90-87)
Feb. 7, 2001 - lost to #11 Texas Tech (67-56)
Jan. 12, 2002 - lost to #3 Oklahoma (82-73)
March 17, 2002 - lost to Drake (76-72, 2nd Round NCAA)
Jan. 26, 2003 - lost to #22 Oklahoma (65-64)
Feb. 8, 2003 - lost to #5 Kansas State (65-53)
Feb. 26, 2003 - lost to #10 Texas (79-57)
April 4, 2003 - lost to Auburn (64-63, WNIT Finals)
Jan. 7, 2004 - lost to #14 Colorado (69-59) Feb. 8, 2004 - lost to #9 Texas Tech (62-59)
